Typhoon Yagi weakens, warning of heavy rain continues

Typhoon Yagi weakened to a tropical storm over the Pacific near Japan early Thursday morning, but the weather agency continues to warn of heavy rain for eastern parts of the country.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the tropical storm was moving slowly east-northeast after losing its typhoon status near the Izu island chain south of Tokyo before 3 a.m.

The agency forecasts that strong winds and high tidal waves will continue into Friday on the Pacific coast of eastern Japan and on the Izu Islands, while warning of torrential rain and possible landslides in those areas.

The third typhoon of the season, fears were it would make landfall on one or more of the nation’s main islands. The storm caused intermittent rains in western and eastern Japan beginning earlier in the week while causing mid-summer high temperatures on the Sea of Japan side of the country.